Top 15 Best Korean Series of 2025 So Far _ Must-Watch on Netflix, Prime Video _ Disney+

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00:00Korean dramas are not slowing down in 2025. They're getting sharper, bolder, and way more

00:26addictive. From dark thrillers to chaotic romances, here are 15 Korean series that made the biggest

00:31mark this year. Whether you've seen them or not, let's count down the ones you shouldn't

00:35miss. At number 15, we have Trigger, a thriller set in a gun-free nation where weapons suddenly

00:41become reality. The story follows a rise in illegal gun distribution and a sharp increase

00:52in violent crime. At the center are two men, a principal detective trying to uphold the

00:56law and a smooth-talking arms dealer who believes chaos is a kind of justice. Their motives couldn't

01:01be further apart, but both are armed and dangerous. The pacing stays tight, with focused storytelling

01:06and clean action sequences. It's more than just shootouts. It's a clash of beliefs, law

01:10versus survival, order versus chaos, and in between, a nation learning what fear really

01:15feels like. It currently holds a 7-plus rating on MyDramaList and is available to stream on

01:19Netflix.

01:25The number 14 is Karma. This one builds tension like a ticking clock slow, precise, and deeply

01:31unsettling. A failed crypto investor thinks he's planned the perfect crime. But this isn't

01:35a one-man show. His actions trigger a chain reaction — blackmail, betrayal, buried trauma,

01:41and six lives spiral from a single spark.

01:47The nonlinear storytelling sharpens the mystery, while the subdued visuals turn even quiet scenes

01:55into pressure cookers. It has a 7.6 rating on IMDb, and you can stream it right now on Netflix.

02:02The number 13 is Undercover High School.

02:08A grown man, a fake ID, and a national treasure hidden in a school locker. Yeah, it's that

02:13kind of show.

02:14Jung Hae-seong, a disgraced NIS agent, is forced to go undercover as a high school student.

02:18His mission? Track down the lost treasure of Emperor Gojong, hidden somewhere inside the

02:22school. It's wild, sharp, and surprisingly heartfelt, with Seo Kang-joon pulling off one of his most

02:27entertaining roles to date. It's got a 7.8 rating on IMDb, and you can catch it now on Viki.

02:35At number 12 is Hyperknife.

02:41This one doesn't cut clean. It slices into ambition, guilt, and the underbelly of medical

02:45ethics. We follow Jung Seok, a once-revered neurosurgeon now working off-grid in illegal

02:50clinics. But when an old mentor lures her back with a dangerous proposition, the scalpels

02:55come out, and not just for surgery.

03:02The show builds pressure like a heartbeat monitor, tight, steady, and ready to spike. Park Eun-bin

03:07is magnetic in a role that blurs genius with madness, while Seol Kyung-gu keeps the rivalry

03:11simmering with cold restraint. You can catch all eight episodes now on Disney+, where it

03:16currently holds an IMDb score of 7.4.

03:21At number 11 is Mellow Movie, a warm, romantic drama wrapped in film references, quiet heartbreak,

03:26and second chances.

03:28Choi Woo-shik plays a film critic drifting through life, and Park Bo-young is the director

03:36he never quite let go of. Years after their awkward past, fate parks them next door again.

03:41No big twists, just two people trying to move on, or maybe not. It's a soft story told through

03:46the lens of people who love film but fear emotion, subtle, sincere, and beautifully restrained.

03:52It holds a 7.5 rating on IMDb, and you can stream it now on Netflix.

03:58The number 10 is Good Boy, a sports-action hybrid that hits like a punch and lands with

04:02heart.

04:08Good Boy throws athletes into a law enforcement task force and somehow makes judo meets street

04:12justice a thing. It's chaotic, creative, and absolutely unafraid to go full action movie

04:17mode when it wants. Park Bo-gum ditches the nice guy look here, trading charm for bruises,

04:22and pulls it off. The chemistry between the Olympic Avengers sells the whole premise, and

04:26the direction keeps things fast, fiery, and fun. Currently available to stream worldwide

04:31on Amazon Prime Video, with an IMDb score of 7.7.

04:36The number 9 is The Resident Playbook, a grounded medical drama that swaps flashy surgery scenes

04:40for real pressure and emotional weight. Four rookie OB-GYN residents walk into Jungno-Yulje Medical

04:46Center, and none of them are ready, but they show up anyway. Through late shifts, impossible

04:50decisions, and fragile patient outcomes, they grow. Not perfectly, but honestly, and that's

04:55what makes it hit.

05:01The friendships evolve slowly, the romance never overpowers the work, and the characters

05:05grow from every cut, crisis, and shift. Currently sitting at an 8.1 on IMDb, and available

05:11to stream on Netflix.

05:17The number 8 is My Dearest Nemesis. This is the type of series in which romance and revenge

05:21collide in the boardroom, and it's more fun than it should be. Imagine rejecting someone

05:25online 16 years ago, and now he's your boss. That's the mess Soo Jung walks into, and neither

05:30of them is pretending it's fine. She's a corporate fixer with zero patience for nonsense. He's the

05:34quietly smug director who hasn't forgotten the burn. Moon Ga Young and Choi Hyun Wook make

05:44the tension weirdly enjoyable, even when the plot dips a little. The series is rated 7.4

05:49on IMDb, and streaming now on Viki globally.

05:54At number 7 is Nine Puzzles. One unsolved murder, a missing memory, and a profiler who might

06:03be chasing herself. Yoon Ena returns to a case that shattered her teenage years, and the deeper

06:08she digs, the more it unravels. New victims, strange patterns, a partner she doesn't trust,

06:13and one puzzle piece that never seems to fit. The show's gripping pace, surreal visuals, and

06:21cold case tension build a world that keeps you doubting everyone. Kim Dami and Sun Tzu

06:26Koo deliver a quietly electric dynamic that only deepens the mystery, rated 7.8 on IMDb,

06:31and streaming exclusively on Disney+.

06:38The number 6 is Buried Hearts, a sharp revenge drama built around memory loss, stolen billions,

06:43and ruthless ambition.

06:48Seo Dong-ju was a brilliant corporate strategist, until one decision wiped his memory and set

06:53off a chain of betrayals. As he rebuilds his identity, he's drawn deeper into a ruthless

06:57power war inside the decent group, where no one plays fair and nothing is as it seems.

07:02The directing leans hard into flashbacks and tension, while Park Hyun-suk's performance, cold,

07:06confused, then fierce, is a highlight worth talking about. With an IMDb score of 7.5, it's streaming now

07:12on Disney+.

07:19At number 5 is Study Group, one of the year's most unexpected breakout hits, packed with grit,

07:24humor, and teen rage. Yoonga Min, a quiet student with poor grades but killer instincts,

07:29lands in Yusung Technical High, a place where survival matters more than study. With his ex-tutor-turned-teacher

07:34backing him up, he starts a study group that ends up fighting more than just academic failure.

07:38The action choreography hits hard, but what truly stands out is how grounded the characters feel. Rated 8.3 on IMDb and streaming now on Viki.

07:51The number 4 is Mercy For None.

08:01Brutal, intimate, and cold as steel. This is the kind of revenge story that doesn't glamorize violence. Every moment feels soaked in tension.

08:06Nam Gijun walked away from violence by tearing apart his own future. But when his brother is murdered,

08:11he steps back into the shadows he thought he'd buried. In a world of betrayal and fading loyalties,

08:16he's not chasing justice. He's chasing the truth no matter how much it costs. So G-Sub's quiet intensity

08:21does more than carry the story. It sharpens it. The show's visual style leans dark and deliberate,

08:26making every confrontation feel earned. It currently holds a 7.5 rating on IMDb and is available to stream on Netflix.

08:37The number 3 is When Life Gives You Tangerines, a period drama told like a memory, slow, honest, and quietly unforgettable.

08:44On 1950's Jeju Island, Ai Sun is torn from her home after a tragedy and raised by strangers.

08:54Guan Sik, the quiet boy from a fishing family, becomes her anchor. As decades pass, their bond grows,

08:59through poverty, protest, and heartbreak, all seen through the eyes of their daughter in the present day.

09:04IU and Park Bogum deliver restrained, deeply human performances. The cinematography paints every frame like a memory,

09:10and the writing lingers long after it ends. It holds a 9.1 rating on IMDb and streams globally on Netflix.

09:18At number 2 is Weak Hero Season 2. This season takes a slower, heavier turn.

09:23It's less about survival, more about the pain that refuses to fade.

09:31Yeon Sion transfers to Yunjiang High after what happened to Suho.

09:34He's quieter now, withdrawn, trying to keep his distance.

09:37But the school isn't quiet. It's run by the Union, a gang that rules through fear.

09:41And Sion wants no part of it until things get personal.

09:48The confrontations feel raw, but it's Park Jihoon's restraint that steals the season.

09:52Every moment feels like something might break.

09:54It holds an 8.4 rating on IMDb and continues to gain wide attention through unofficial sources.

09:59The top spot goes to Squid Game Season 3.

10:06This is it, the grand finale that finally tears the mask off the system.

10:10It exploded on Netflix at launch, smashing records with over 60 million streams in just three days,

10:15and now officially the most-watched non-English series in the world.

10:19The six-episode final season picks up right after Season 2's failed rebellion.

10:22A broken Gi-hun returns to the battlefield, but this time, he's here to burn it all down.

10:27Former Player One, or rather, the frontman, reclaims control and brings in a new wave of VIPs.

10:32Their chilling presence deepens the show's already dark commentary on power and control.

10:36Season 3 brings closure, chaos, and a final twist that opens the door to something even bigger.

10:48A game that's no longer just South Korean, but global.

10:51It holds an IMDb rating of 8.0 and is streaming now on Netflix.

10:56And that wraps up the list.

10:57Which one have you already binged?

10:59And which one just shot to the top of your watchlist?

11:01Drop your thoughts in the comments.

11:03And hey, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

11:06I'll be back soon with another video.

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